Distributed charging station

ABSTRACT

A device charging system application to track one or more batteries configured to supply power to at least one load device and a central charging station in communication with the battery and including a transceiver and an electronic processor configured to define a virtual boundary within an area proximate to the central charging station, determine a proximate location of the battery, determine, based the location of the battery, whether the battery is within the virtual boundary, and transmit a command to the battery causing the battery to stop supplying power to the load device when the battery is not within the virtual boundary.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/636,454, filed on Feb. 28, 2018, U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/636,469, filed on Feb. 28, 2018, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/702,511, filed on Jul. 24, 2018,the entire contents all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments relate to portable power supplies.

SUMMARY

Portable power supplies (for example, battery charging modules, mobilepower modules, etc.) may need to be kept within proximity of a centraldevice to ensure that they do not get lost or stolen.

Accordingly, the embodiments provide a device charging systemapplication to track one or more batteries configured to supply power toat least one load device and a central charging station in communicationwith the battery and including a transceiver and an electronic processorconfigured to define a virtual boundary within an area proximate to thecentral charging station, determine a proximate location of the battery,determine, based the location of the battery, whether the battery iswithin the virtual boundary, and transmit a command to the batterycausing the battery to stop supplying power to the load device when thebattery is not within the virtual boundary.

Other embodiments provide a method of managing a battery having one ormore battery cells. The method including storing, via a memory, anidentifier associated with the battery; receiving, via a centralcharging station, the battery; and charging, via the central chargingstation, the battery when received. The method further includingdetermining, via an electronic processor, when the battery is removedfrom the central charging station; defining a virtual boundary for thebattery; determining a location of the battery; and determining, basedon the location of the battery, whether the battery is within thevirtual boundary. The method further including transmitting a command tothe battery. Wherein the battery is configured to stop supplying powerto a load device in response to receiving the command.

Other aspects of the application will become apparent by considerationof the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of an example charging system according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates a diagram of a central charging station of thecharging system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2B illustrated a front perspective of the central charging stationof FIG. 2A according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates a diagram of a battery of the charging system ofFIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates a front perspective of the battery of FIG. 3Aaccording to some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A & 4B illustrate a diagram of a battery asset managementapplication system for the charging system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side cutaway view illustrating a locking mechanism of thebattery of FIGS. 3A & 3B according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the application are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the application is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the followingdrawings. For ease of description, some or all of the example systemspresented herein are illustrated with a single exemplar of each of itscomponent parts. Some examples may not describe or illustrate allcomponents of the systems. Other exemplary embodiments may include moreor fewer of each of the illustrated components, may combine somecomponents, or may include additional or alternative components. Theapplication is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or ofbeing carried out in various ways.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of an example charging system 100 accordingto some embodiments. The charging system 100 may include a centralcharging station 105, one or more batteries 110, and one or more loaddevices 115 coupled to the one or more batteries 110. The centralcharging station 105 is configured to communicate with the one or morebatteries 110, for example via communication links 120. As described inmore detail in regard to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the central charging station105 verifies the batteries 110 remain within a virtual boundary (or ageo-fence) proximate to the central charging station 105. The batteries110 supply power to the one or more load devices 115 coupled to therespective battery 110 while within the virtual boundary. When thecentral charging station 105 determines one of the batteries 110 isoutside the virtual boundary, the central charging station 105 sends acommand to the battery 110 to stop powering the load devices 115 coupledto the battery 110. In other embodiments, once a battery 110 leaves thevirtual boundary, the battery 110 will become non-operational (forexample, prohibit the supply of power to a load device 115).

FIG. 2A illustrates a diagram of the central charging station 105according to some embodiments. In the embodiment illustrated, thecentral charging station 105 includes an electronic processor 202, amemory 204, an input and output (I/O) interface 206, a transceiver 208,an antenna 210, a power input 211, and a power output 213. In someembodiments, the central charging station 105 includes a display 212.The illustrated components, along with other various modules andcomponents are coupled to each other by or through one or more controlor data buses that enable communication therebetween. The use of controland data buses for the interconnection between and exchange ofinformation among the various modules and components would be apparentto a person skilled in the art in view of the description providedherein. In other constructions, the central charging station 105includes additional, fewer, or different components. For example, insome embodiments the central charging station 105 includes one or moreelectronic sensors configured to sense an electric (for example,voltage, current, and/or power) and/or thermal characteristic of thecentral charging station 105 and/or battery(s) 110.

The electronic processor 202 obtains and provides information (forexample, from the memory 204 and/or the I/O interface 206), andprocesses the information by executing one or more software instructionsor modules, capable of being stored, for example, in a random accessmemory (“RAM”) area of the memory 204 or a read only memory (“ROM”) ofthe memory 204 or another non-transitory computer readable medium (notshown). The software can include firmware, one or more applications,program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules, and otherexecutable instructions.

The memory 204 can include one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia, and includes a program storage area and a data storage area. Theprogram storage area and the data storage area can include combinationsof different types of memory, as described herein. The memory 204 mayinclude, among other things, a unique identifier for each battery 110 tobe coupled to the central charging station 105. The electronic processor202 is configured to retrieve from the memory 204 and execute, amongother things, software related to the control processes and methodsdescribed herein.

The I/O interface 206 is configured to receive input and to provideoutput to one or more peripherals. The I/O interface 206 obtainsinformation and signals from, and provides information and signals to,(for example, over one or more wired and/or wireless connections)devices both internal and external to the central charging station 105.In some embodiments, the I/O interface 206 may include user-actuabledevices (for example, a keypad, switches, buttons, soft keys, and thelike) and indictor lights/devices (for example, light emitting diodes(LEDs), haptic vibrators, and the like).

The electronic processor 202 is configured to control the transceiver208 to transmit and receive data to and from the central chargingstation 105. The electronic processor 202 encodes and decodes digitaldata sent and received by the transceiver 208. The transceiver 208transmits and receives radio signals to and from various wirelesscommunications networks using the antenna 210. The electronic processor202 and the transceiver 208 may include various digital and analogcomponents, which for brevity are not described herein and which may beimplemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Someembodiments include separate transmitting and receiving components, forexample, a transmitter and a receiver, instead of a combined transceiver208.

The display 212 may be any suitable display, for example, a liquidcrystal display (LCD) touch screen, or an organic light-emitting diode(OLED) touch screen. The central charging station 105 may implement agraphical user interface (GUI) (for example, generated by the electronicprocessor 202, from instructions and data stored in the memory 204, andpresented on the display 212), that enables a user to interact with thecentral charging station 105. The graphical user interface may allow auser to view information regarding the central charging station. Suchinformation may include the type and charging status of the connectedbatteries 110 and the load devices 115 coupled to the respectivebatteries 110. The graphical user interface may also allow an authorizeduser to define and adjust the virtual boundary of the central chargingstation 105, install or remove additional batteries 110 to the system100, or remotely command one or more batteries 110 to stop supplyingpower to or charging the load devices 115 coupled to them. The graphicaluser interface may allow interaction with the interface usinggesture-based inputs or user-actuated switches/buttons. The graphicalinterface may be partially distributed on one or more additionalexternal devices, for example a smartphone or tablet. In someembodiments, the external devices include one or more of the connectedload devices 115.

The power input 211 is configured to receive an input power. In theillustrated embodiment, the power input 211 is a power plug configuredto receive the input power from an electrical socket. In someembodiments, the input power is approximately 110 VAC to approximately120 VAC. In other embodiments, the input power is approximately 210 VACto approximately 220 VAC.

The central charging station 105 is configured to be associated with oneor more batteries 110. The electronic processor 202 is configured toprovide power to and communicate with the battery 110 through the I/Ointerface 206. The battery 110 is configured to be coupled to thecentral charging station 105 to be charged via a wired connection,receptacle to socket connection, or wirelessly (for example, viainductive charging). The battery 110 is also removable from the centralcharging station 105. When the battery 110 is removed (no longerphysically coupled to the central charging station 105), the electronicprocessor 202 communicates wirelessly with the battery 110 via thetransceiver 208.

Communication between the central charging station 105 and variouscomponents including the batteries 110 can occur through thecommunication links 120. In some embodiments, the communication links120 is, for example, a wide area network (WAN), a transport controlprotocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) based network, a cellular network,such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (orGroupe Spécial Mobile (GSM)) network, a General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, anEvolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE) network, a 1G network, a 3GSM network, a 4GSM network,a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) network, a Digitaladvanced mobile phone system (AMPS) (IS-136/time division multipleaccess (TDMA)) network, or an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN)network, etc.). In other embodiments, the communication links 120 is,for example, a local area network (LAN), a neighborhood area network(NAN), a home area network (HAN), or personal area network (PAN)employing any of a variety of communications protocols, such as Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.

The central charging station 105 is configured to provide power, viapower output 213, to one or more batteries 110. Although illustrated asproviding power to a single battery 110, in other embodiments, thecentral charging station 105 is configured to provide power to two ormore batteries 110. In some embodiments, the batteries 110 receive thepower and charge a battery 312 (FIG. 3A), or one or more battery cells,of the battery 110. In some embodiments, the power is supplied via aproprietary charging interface. In such an embodiment, the charginginterface may be wired. In other embodiments, the power is supplied viawireless power transmission (for example, inductive charging). In someembodiments, the power output port 213 may be configured to transferpower to, as well as communicate with, the one or more batteries 110.For example, in some embodiments, the power output port 213 may beconfigured to perform near-field communication (NFC). In furtherembodiments, the central charging station 105 is configured to determineand implement a charging limit on the one or more batteries 110. Thecharging limit may be automatically determined by the charging station105 or set by a user. Although a single power output 213 is illustrated,it should be understood that, in some embodiments, the central chargingstation 105 may include more than one power output port 213. The centralcharging station 105 may include additional output ports (not shown)configured to provide power to and/or communicate with additionalelectronic devices other than the batteries 110.

In some embodiments, the central charging station 105 stores (within thememory 204) an index of unique identifiers, each identifier assigned toa battery 110. The index may be updated (identifiers may be added orremoved) via the user interface on the display 212, a wirelesselectronic command from a remote device via the transceiver 208, and/orthe I/O interface of the central charging station 105. The centralcharging station 105 may be configured to, upon receiving a battery 110,receive an identifier associated with the battery 110 from the battery110 and refer to the index to determine if the identifier is storedwithin the memory 204. When the identifier is not found in the index,the central charging station 105 may generate an alert, for example onthe display 212, that an unknown battery 110 has been received. Infurther embodiments, the central charging station 105 may be configuredto transmit the alert, including the identifier, to another centralcharging station.

In some embodiments, the central charging station 105 includes one ormore cavities (for example, cavities 214 in FIG. 2B) configured to holdthe one or more batteries 110 while they are charging/coupled to thecentral charging station 105. In some embodiments, the one or morecavities 214 extrude from the central charging station 105. In furtherembodiments, the one or more cavities 214 may be recessed in the centralcharging station 105. The one or more batteries 110 and cavities 214 maybe configured to be modular so that the battery(s) 110 fit securely intothe respective cavity 214.

The central charging station 105 may include one or more locking (orlatching) mechanisms 216 configured to secure the batteries 110 to thecentral charging station 105. FIG. 5 is a side cutaway view illustratingan exemplary embodiment of the locking mechanism 216 with the battery110. The locking mechanism 216 includes a locking member 502A configuredto engage with a receiver cavity 502B of the battery 110. When in anunlocked position 501A, the locking member 502A is not engaged with thereceiver cavity 502B, allowing the battery 110 to be removed from thecentral charging station 105. When in a locked position 501B, thelocking member 502A is engaged with the receiver cavity 502B so that thebattery 110 is secured and not removable from the central chargingstation 105. It should be understood that the locking mechanism 216 mayutilize other kinds of locking/latching configurations besides theillustrated embodiment. In some embodiments, the battery 110 includesthe locking member 502A while the central charging station 105 includesthe receiver cavity 502B.

The locking mechanisms 216 may be configured to be electronicallylocked, where the locking mechanism 216 is operated (locked andunlocked) electronically or remotely (for example, “smart locked”). Whenthe locking mechanisms 216 are configured to be electronically locked,they may be operated via electronic commands from a user interactionthrough the graphic user interface on the display 212, an input deviceof the input and output interface 206, and/or an electronic command froma remote device (for example, a smart phone, tablet, computer, or otherpersonal electronic device) received via the transceiver 208. In someembodiments, the locking mechanisms 216 may be configured to bephysically engaged (required to be manually locked and unlocked via akey, a turn of a knob, or the activation of a user-actuable device inorder to be operated). In some embodiments the locking mechanism 216 mayutilize more than one kind of locking/latching configuration. Forexample, in some embodiments, the locking mechanism 216 may beconfigured to both physically and electronically lock, wherein, when thelocking mechanism 216 is configured to override/bypass the electroniclock when physically engaged, allowing a user to unlatch one or more ofthe batteries 110 without an electronic command.

Returning to FIG. 2A, in some embodiments, the central charging station105 may include a battery sensor 218 in (or proximate to) each of thepower output port 213 (for example, within each cavity 214). The batterysensor 218 is configured to sense when one or more of the batteries 110is present/coupled to the central charging station 105. The batterysensor 218 may be used in addition to the wireless and/or wiredcommunication (for example, via the transceiver 208 and the I/Ointerface 206 and/or power output 213 respectively) between the chargingstation 105 and the battery(s) 110 as a separate means of determiningwhen the battery(s) 110 is placed in the charging station 105. Forexample, the battery sensor 218 may be configured to read anidentification label/chip (for example, a radio-frequency identificationor RFID chip) of the battery 110. This secondary communication may beused by the central charging station 105 to determine if there is anissue/malfunction with the wireless/wired communication between thecentral charging station 105 and the battery(s) 110.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the system 100 includingthe central charging station 105 and the batteries 110. In theillustrated embodiment, the charging station 105 is configured as acabinet. It should be understood that other configurations of thecharging station 105 are realizable. The charging station 105 may beconfigured to be mounted/secured to a vertical or horizontal surface orbe integrated into a stand-alone structure. For example, the chargingstation 105 may be integrated into a stanchion, a portable cart, atable, and the like.

FIG. 3A illustrates a block diagram of the battery 110 of the centralcharging station 105. The battery 110 includes an electronic processor302, a memory 304, a transceiver 306, an antenna 308, at least one poweroutput 310, a battery 312, and a power input 313.

The power output 310 is configured to connect/couple to one of the loaddevices 115 to supply power. In some embodiments, the power output 310is configured to receive a power plug. Although only one power output310 is illustrated, it should be understood that in some embodiments thebattery 110 includes more than one power output 310. In suchembodiments, the power outputs 310 are similar power receptaclesconfigured to output similar types of power, while in other embodiments,power outputs 310 are different power receptacles configured to outputpower of different types or having different characteristics (forexample, different voltage amplitudes and/or magnitudes, differentvoltage frequencies, alternating current, or direct current). Forexample, one power output 310 is a direct current power receptacleconfigured to output power having approximately 12 VDC, a second poweroutput 310 is a North American power receptacle configured to outputpower having approximately 120 VAC, and the third power output 310 is aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) power output configured to outputapproximately 5 VDC. However, in other embodiments, the power outputsmay be different. In other embodiments, the battery 110 may beconfigured to wirelessly charge one or more of the load devices 115, forexample via inductive charging.

In some embodiments, the battery 110 may be configured to electronicallycommunicate (via the transceiver 306 and/or via the power output(s) 310)with one or more load devices 115 coupled to the battery 110. In someembodiments, the battery 110 is configured to notify (for example, ping)the central charging station 105 repeatedly after a predetermined amountof time. The battery 110 may use the information to approximate thedistance that the battery 110 is from the central charging station 105.

In some embodiments the battery 110 further includes one or more of arectifier, alternator, or other converter. The rectifier and/oralternator are configured to convert the power from the battery to anappropriate output power to be output to the one or more load device115.

As discussed above with respect to central charging station 105, thebattery 110 is configured to receive power from the central chargingstation 105 via the power input 313. In some embodiments, the battery110 may include charging circuitry to receive the power from the centralcharging station 105 and charge the battery 312. In some embodiments,the power input 313 may be a wireless charging coil configured towirelessly receive power and/or communicate with the central chargingstation 105. As mentioned above, in further embodiments, one or more ofthe at least one output port 310 may be a wireless charging coilconfigured to wirelessly transmit power to the load device(s) 115. Insome embodiments, the power output 310 and power input 313 may beintegrated into a single bi-directional port (or coil) configured toboth transmit and receive power to and from the charging station 105 andthe load device(s) 115.

The battery 110 may include one or more input/output components (notshown) similar to those described above in regard to the I/O interface206. In some embodiments, the battery 110 is configured to generate avisual and/or audible alert to indicate a particular operational status.Such operational statuses may include a detected fault within thebattery 110, the battery 312 is low on charge, or the battery 110 isoutside the virtual boundary and has stopped supplying power to the loaddevice 115. A visual indication may be provided via one or morelight-emitting diodes (LEDs), a display (not illustrated), or an alarm.In some embodiments, the battery 110 may be configured to forwardinformation regarding the particular condition to one or more externaldevices, for example the load device 115 or the central charging station105.

In some embodiments, the battery 110 includes more than one battery 312.In further embodiments, the battery 110 may be configured to allowadditional batteries 312, or battery cells, to be added or removed fromthe battery 110. In such embodiments, the battery 110 may furtherinclude a secure panel (not shown) to prevent unauthorized removal ofthe batteries 312. In some embodiments, the central charging station 105is configured to monitor an electric charge curve (an electric and/orthermal characteristic profile over time) via one or more electronicsensors (not shown) during charging of the battery 312. The centralcharging station 105 may be configured to record and store the chargingpattern of the battery 312 of the battery 110 while coupled to thecharging station 105. The central charging station 105 may be furtherconfigured to analyze the charging pattern for any indications ofpotential malfunction in the battery 110. When an indication isdetermined to be present, the central charging station 105 may generatea visual and/or audible alert indicating the battery 110 indicating thepotential malfunction. In some embodiments, when a potential malfunctionis determined to be present in the battery 110, the central chargingstation 105 may keep the locking mechanism 216 engaged so that thebattery 110 cannot be removed unless an authorized personnel clears thealert.

Authorization of removal of the battery 110 may be validated via thegraphic user interface of the display 212 or an input device of the I/Ointerface 206. In some embodiments, an electric charge curve may berecorded and stored by the battery 110 while the battery 110 is chargingone or more load devices 115. The battery 110 may transmit the electriccharge curve to the central charging station 105 for, for example,monitoring usage and/or monitoring for potential maintenance. In someembodiments, the central charging station 105 may use the curveinformation from the battery 110 to determine the amount of usage of thebattery from the time the battery 110 was removed from the centralcharging station to when the battery 110 was returned. The chargingstation 105 may then calculate a price to charge a user of the battery110 based on the amount of usage.

FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the battery 110. Thebattery 110 includes a housing 314 encasing the components describedabove in regard to FIG. 3A and includes multiple power outputs 310. Asillustrated, in some embodiments, the battery 110 includes one or morelight sources 316 to indicate to a user an operational status of thebattery 110. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the battery110 may include additional communication ports/coils to communicate withother electronic devices. In further embodiments, the battery 110 mayinclude a mounting bracket or clip (not shown) so that it may beattached/hung from a surface.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example virtual boundary 400 of thecharging system 100. The virtual boundary 400, or geofence, is a virtualboundary superimposed on an area. The area may be the area surroundingthe central charging station 105 or an area proximate to the centralcharging station 105. The configuration of the virtual boundary 400, forexample the shape or the size, may be predefined or defined by a uservia, for example, the user interface.

The central charging station 105 determines whether one or more of thebatteries 110 are within the virtual boundary 400. In some embodiments,the central charging station 105 is configured to collect informationbased on monitoring the location and status of each of the batteries110. The location of the batteries 110 may be determined via proximitysensors (not illustrated) or radio frequency communication, for exampleBluetooth or radio frequency identification (RFID). In some embodiments,the batteries 110 are tracked using, among other things, satellitenavigation tracking (e.g., global navigation satellite system (GNSS)tracking, global positioning system (GPS) tracking, Galileo tracking,Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) tracking, GLObalNAvigation System (GLONAS) tracking, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System,etc.) and WiFi-based tracking. In some embodiments, the batteries 110transmit information regarding their location to the central chargingstation 105.

While the battery 110 is within the virtual boundary 400, the battery110 is operable to provide power to charge the one or more load devices115 connected to the battery 110. However, as illustrated in FIG. 4B,when one of the batteries 110 leaves or is outside of the virtualboundary 400, the battery 110 prohibits power to the load devices 115 itis connected to.

In some embodiments, the central charging station 105 is configured towirelessly charge the one or more batteries 110 while the batteries 110are within a predetermined charging range of the central chargingstation 105. The batteries 110, while within this predetermined chargingrange, may then be wirelessly charged while charging one or more of theconnected load devices 115. The predetermined charging range may be thesame as or less than the range of the virtual boundary 400. For example,when the charging system 100 is located in a room within a commercialbuilding, the virtual boundary 400 may be defined to encompass theentire commercial building while the predetermined charging range islimited to a single room within the commercial building. When this isthe case, a user with the battery 110 is able to charge or power a loaddevice 115 as well as the battery 110 while within the single room ofthe commercial building. When the user takes the battery 110 outside thesingle room, leaving the predetermined charging range, the battery 110no longer receives a wireless charge from the central charging station105. However, the user is still able to use the battery 110 to supplypower to the one or more load devices 115.

In some embodiments, the battery 110 is configured to periodicallydetermine an approximate distance the battery 110 is from the centralcharging station 105. For example, the battery 110 may periodically pingthe central charging station 105 and use the information to approximatethe distance of the battery 110 from the central charging station 105.In further embodiments, the battery 110 may use the approximate distanceto determine when the battery 110 is outside the virtual boundary 400.The battery 110 may then provide a visual/audible indication to the userto notify that they are outside the virtual boundary 400 and/or notifythe central charging station 105 that the battery 110 is outside thevirtual boundary 400. In some embodiments, the battery 110 is configuredto cease providing power/charging the load device(s) 115 when thebattery 110 determines that the battery 110 is outside the virtualboundary. The battery 110 may continue to approximate the distance fromthe central charging station 105 and continue providing power/chargingthe load device(s) 115 when the battery 110 determines that the battery110 is within the virtual boundary 400 again. In further embodiments,the battery 110 is configured to stop powering/charging the loaddevice(s) 115 and/or shut off after failing to receive a response fromthe charging station 105 after sending one or more ping requests.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the application as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. The application isdefined solely by the appended claims including any amendments madeduring the pendency of this application and all equivalents of thoseclaims as issued.

Moreover in this document, relational terms for example first andsecond, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguishone entity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,”“having,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” “containing” or any othervariation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has,includes, contains a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by“comprises . . . a,” “has . . . a,” “includes . . . a,” or “contains . .. a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms“a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly statedotherwise herein. The terms “substantially,” “essentially,”“approximately,” “about” or any other version thereof, are defined asbeing close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and inone non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, inanother embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and inanother embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein isdefined as connected, although not necessarily directly and notnecessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is “configured” ina certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also beconfigured in ways that are not listed.

It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one ormore generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) forexample microprocessors, digital signal processors, customizedprocessors and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and unique storedprogram instructions (including both software and firmware) that controlthe one or more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethod and/or apparatus described herein. Alternatively, some or allfunctions could be implemented by a state machine that has no storedprogram instructions, or in one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certainof the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, acombination of the two approaches could be used.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readablestorage medium having computer readable code stored thereon forprogramming a computer (e.g., comprising a processor) to perform amethod as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read OnlyMemory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flashmemory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

Thus, the application provides, among other things, a system and methodof device charging. Various features and advantages of the applicationare set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device charging system comprising: a batteryincluding a receiver cavity, the battery configured to supply a type ofpower to at least one load device; and a central charging stationconfigured to receive the battery, the central charging stationincluding a locking mechanism having a locking member configured toengage with the receiver cavity to secure the battery to the centralcharging station; a memory configured to store an identifier of thebattery; an output port configured to supply power to the battery; andan electronic processor configured to: associate the battery with thecentral charging station by storing the identifier of the battery,engage the locking mechanism upon receiving the battery, and charge thebattery when the battery is received, receive an unlock command from aremote device, disengage the locking mechanism upon receiving the unlockcommand, determine when the battery is removed from the central chargingstation, define a virtual boundary with respect to the central chargingstation in which the battery is expected to stay in, determine alocation of the battery, determine, based the location of the battery,whether the battery is within the virtual boundary, and transmit acommand to the battery causing the battery to stop supplying power tothe load device when the battery is not within the virtual boundary. 2.The device charging system of claim 1, wherein the electronic processoris further configured to add and remove identifiers of additionalbatteries to the memory of the central charging station.
 3. The devicecharging system of claim 1, wherein the central charging station furtherincludes a secondary sensor configured to read an identification labelof the battery to determine when the battery is coupled to the outputport.
 4. The device charging system of claim 1, wherein the type ofpower supplied to the at least one load device is transferredwirelessly.
 5. The device charging system of claim 1, wherein thebattery is configured to supply a second type of power to a second loaddevice.
 6. The device charging system of claim 5, wherein the secondtype of power is difference from the type of power supplied to the atleast one load device.
 7. The device charging system of claim 1, whereinthe electronic processor is further configured to wirelessly charge thebattery while the battery is within a predetermined charging range. 8.The device charging system of claim 1, wherein the electronic processoris further configured to supply power to the battery via a proprietarycharging interface.
 9. The device charging system of claim 1, whereinthe electronic processor is further configured to determine a potentialmalfunction in the battery by monitoring an electronic chargecharacteristic of the battery while the battery is being charged and,when the potential malfunction is determined to exist, generate an alertto a user of the device charging system.
 10. A method of managing abattery having one or more battery cells and a receiver cavity, themethod comprising: storing, via a memory, an identifier associated withthe battery; receiving, via a central charging station, the battery;engaging a locking mechanism having a locking member configured toengage with the receiver cavity to secure the battery to the centralcharging station; and charging, via the central charging station, thebattery when received; receiving an unlock command from a remote device;disengaging the locking mechanism upon receiving the unlock command;determining, via an electronic processor, when the battery is removedfrom the central charging station; defining a virtual boundary withrespect to the central charging station in which the battery is expectedto stay in; determining a location of the battery; determining, based onthe location of the battery, whether the battery is within the virtualboundary; and transmitting a command to the battery; wherein the batteryis configured to stop supplying power to a load device in response toreceiving the command.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingstoring, via the memory, a second identifier associated with a secondbattery.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving theidentifier associated with the battery includes sensing, via a sensor,an identification label of the battery when the battery is received viathe central charging station.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereinbattery is configured to wireless supply power to the load device. 14.The method of claim 10, wherein the battery is configured to supplypower to a second load device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein powersupplied to the second load device is supplied via a wire.
 16. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising: determining, via the electronicprocess, a potential malfunction of the battery; and generating, upondetermining the potential malfunction, an alert to a user.